Proposal of Non-Flying-Type MEID mechanism for lunar/planetary exploration spacecraft

Lunar/planetary spacecraft should be able to land softly and conduct thorough explorations. Conventional landing methods suffer from various problems such as high rebound, the impossibility of reuse, and necessity of air. Therefore, a novel landing method that solves these problems is required for landing in severe environments. Toward this end, the authors have applied Momentum Exchange Impact Damper (MEID). MEID realizes landing by exchanging the momentum of the spacecraft with damper masses. However, flying damper masses may collide with and damage the spacecraft. Furthermore, they may pollute the lunar/planetary surface. Therefore, in this paper, the authors propose a Non-Flying-Type MEID (NFMEID) mechanism without flying damper masses. Unlike conventional landing methods and MEIDs, the NFMEID (i) reduces a spacecraft's rebound, (ii) can be reused, (iii) can be used in vacuum, and (iv) can protect a spacecraft and the surface pollution from launched masses. Furthermore, the NFMEID may extend the usefulness of MEID because it is considered effective for the shock response control of not only spacecraft but also general mechanical structures. This paper explains the NFMEID mechanism and evaluates its landing performance through some simulations. This study shows that the NFMEID is a promising landing method for further lunar/planetary exploration missions. © 2016 The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers